Delcam set to showcase five-axis developments of CAM systems at CMTS

Delcam will highlight the latest developments in the company’s CAM systems for the programming of five-axis machines at Canada’s National Manufacturing Event (CMTS) held on 30 September 2013 to 3 October 2013, at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

While the company’s Powermill software remains the company’s leading program for five-axis programming of complex shapes, both FeatureCAM, the feature-based CAM system for production machining, and the Partmaker software, for equipment including turn-mill machines, bar-fed mills and Swiss-type lathes, also offer five-axis capabilities.

For the latest Powermill release, the main change in the five-axis capabilities has been to increase the number of options for tool-axis definition. Meanwhile, the new five-axis strategies available in FeatureCAM 2013 include flowline machining between two curves, pencil machining and corner re-machining.

According to the company, Partmaker 2013 R2 features much-improved simultaneous milling strategies for both four- and five-axis machining within a new module: ASM-MX (Advanced Surface Machining — Multi-Axis). The module can be added across the entire Partmaker CAM suite, including the Partmaker Mill, Turn-Mill and SwissCAM modules.

Key benefits

Powermill provides better control for the tool-axis definition when using the To or From a Point, Line or Curve strategies.

When using Powermill, it is claimed to be easier for users to control the contact angle between the cutter and the part, and so set the optimum cutting conditions for efficient machining and high-quality surface finish.

FeatureCAM’s strategies for simultaneous five-axis machining allow a better surface finish to be achieved as well as ensuring access to more areas within the part in a single set-up.

FeatureCAM offers the ability to smooth the Azimuth and Elevation axes independently and so remove excessive five-axis movement.

ASM-MX enables Partmaker to provide the user with complete tool-axis control for all five-axis simultaneous machining strategies.

ASM-MX features a unique new machining strategy called ‘spine finishing’. Spine finishing can be used in either four- or five-axis simultaneous operations and is ideal for machining parts with complex curves, such as angulated abutments found in the dental implant industry.

Delcam

Delcam supplies software and services that help manufacturing companies to maximise their profitability by increasing productivity, improving quality and reducing lead times. The company is the world's largest specialist supplier of computer-aided machining software, with its PowerMILL, FeatureCAM, Partmaker and ArtCAM programs making up the most comprehensive range of CAM systems from any developer.

This broad selection allows Delcam to offer a CAM system capable of machining virtually any product, in any material on any type of equipment. Delcam also develops product design, tooling design and quality control programs. The unique Tribrid Modelling approach to design incorporates solid modelling, surface modelling and triangle modelling in a single program, enabling complete design and reverse engineering projects to be undertaken without transferring data between software.

Delcam's Powerinspect offers fast, reliable comparison of parts, prototypes and tooling against CAD data on all types of inspection equipment and even on machine tools. This versatility has made it the world's leading hardware-independent inspection software. Related programs are available for checking machine tool set-up and part location. Delcam software is used in over 80 countries worldwide by around 40,000 organisations, from large multi-nationals to small sub-contractors, in industries including aerospace, automotive, dental, engineering, footwear, medical and toolmaking.